What is cancer pain? Cancer growing into near by tissues. Pressure on nerves, bones, or organs causing pain. Chemicals released from the tumor into surrounding region. Chemotherapies causing mouth sores, fatigue, diarrhea, and nerve damage, Radiation burns, and surgery. Depression and anxiety cause and or increase cancer pain.
Non-Pharmacologic Pain Management: Relaxation therapy, Aromatherapy, guided imagery, Therapeutic thouch, Accupunture. Redirection, Hypnosis. Psycho-social therapy and support groups.
Barriers to treatment: Physicians and nurses failure to assess pain. Reluctance of physcians to treat pain based on fear of patient becoming addicted Clients may also become fearful of addiction. They sometimes feel that they do not want to burden medical staff with their pain and will not disclose their pain. They may be displaying stoism and they may have fear of side effects of pain treatment.
As nurses we must advocate for our patients pain management. Assess their pain using the appropriate pain scale and always believe and treat our patients. Our patients own report on their pain is the most reliable and accurate.
"Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, and exists whenever he says it does." Margo McCaffrey MS, RN-BC, FAAN
Cancer Pain
What is cancer pain? Cancer growing into near by tissues. Pressure on nerves, bones, or organs causing pain. Chemicals released from the tumor into surrounding region. Chemotherapies causing mouth sores, fatigue, diarrhea, and nerve damage, Radiation burns, and surgery. Depression and anxiety cause and or increase cancer pain.
Pharmacologic Pain Management: Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, nerve blocks.
Non-Pharmacologic Pain Management: Relaxation therapy, Aromatherapy, guided imagery, Therapeutic thouch, Accupunture. Redirection, Hypnosis. Psycho-social therapy and support groups.
Barriers to treatment: Physicians and nurses failure to assess pain. Reluctance of physcians to treat pain based on fear of patient becoming addicted Clients may also become fearful of addiction. They sometimes feel that they do not want to burden medical staff with their pain and will not disclose their pain. They may be displaying stoism and they may have fear of side effects of pain treatment.
As nurses we must advocate for our patients pain management. Assess their pain using the appropriate pain scale and always believe and treat our patients. Our patients own report on their pain is the most reliable and accurate.
"Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, and exists whenever he says it does." Margo McCaffrey MS, RN-BC, FAAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kQPTuI6Zd8
Nursing Article:
"Acupuncture as a Treatment Modality for the Management of Cancer Pain: The State of the Science."
http://prox1.harpercollege.edu:2052/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=15&sid=dca832b5-90ea-401b-bd72-a4d1b4de6a42%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=cin20&AN=2010763948
References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-pain/CA00021
http://www.cancer-pain.org/
http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/PhysicalSideEffects/Pain/PainDiary/pain-control-toc
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/pain//page5